


Rebound

by thenakednymph



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gay Keith (Voltron), Happy Ending, Heartbroken Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, I have a lot of feelings, Korean Keith (Voltron), Lance deserves better, M/M, New Beginnings, let them be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 11:59:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17022219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenakednymph/pseuds/thenakednymph
Summary: Lance deserves better than to be a rebound. He just wasn’t expecting Keith to be the one to tell him that.





	Rebound

**Author's Note:**

> This is only half edited and could probably be better than it is, but I had to get something out after the aftermath that was s8. They all deserved so much better.
> 
> Edit- Now with fewer spelling mistakes!

Keith sinks to the ground beside Lance where he’s hiding in one of the launch bays. He probably wants to be alone, but Keith can see he’s hurting and knows that being alone when you’re hurt isn’t always a good thing. So he opts to keep Lance company. Whether he wants it or not. 

They sit in silence for awhile and Lance doesn’t tell Keith to fuck off or move away so he considers it a win. He doesn’t ask, wouldn’t want anyone to ask him what was bothering him if he were in the same position. It just makes him feel weak, vulnerable when all he wants is to hide and pretend he isn’t hurting. So he sits next to Lance and lets him know he’s not alone simply by being there. Sometimes that’s all anyone needs. 

Lance shifts eventually, their shoulders bumping together as he tries to make himself more comfortable on the steel floor.

“I asked Allura out.” He sounds so small.

Keith tries not to wince. The timing on that is not great. After everything that happened with Lotor he doesn’t know if Lance pursuing her right now is a good thing. It just makes him a rebound if she says yes. It’s a disservice to both of them. 

Something hot and angry and sour twists in his stomach and Keith hides his hands in his jacket. Lance deserves better than that. 

“She turned me down.”

He sounds hurt and Keith would never want that, but part of him is relieved. Smart girl. Jumping head first into another relationship so soon after the last one would have only gotten them both hurt; even if Allura did feel the same way about Lance as he did her. And Keith knows she doesn’t. She’s made that clear on numerous occasions. He just hadn’t expected Lance to be serious about her. 

He nods slowly, chewing over what Lance has said, trying to decide how to respond. 

“Good.” It’s apparently the wrong thing to say.

Lance flinches away from him, fingers curling over his legs until his nails are white. He scowls darkly, burying that flicker of hurt in his eyes.

“Ouch,” he snaps. “Tell me how you really feel.”

He goes to stand and Keith lets him. 

“You deserve better than to be someone’s rebound after a broken heart Lance,” he murmurs, trying to soothe.

“I know you care about her and I’m so sorry you’re hurting.” He looks up at Lance who’s frozen, still half hunched over. “I would never want that or wish a broken heart on anyone one, let alone you.” His eyes search Lance’s but all he sees is surprise. “You shouldn’t be second best to anyone. Least of all Lotor.” He wrinkles his nose. 

“You should be with someone because they love and cherish  _ you _ , not as some placeholder for someone else in their heart or as a replacement to try and soothe away the hurt. Allura knows that. She doesn’t love you the way you do her, but even she knows you deserve better than that; you both do. She cares about you too much to do that to you.” He looks away, reclining back against the wall to watch the ships and cadets swarm about like ants.

“She turned you down because she cares, not because she doesn’t.” He chews on his lip.

“I know being lonely sucks,” he says softly, “trust me.” His voice turns bitter. “I know. But you don’t need someone else to complete you. Romantically or otherwise.” He looks up at Lance who can’t seem to form words. “You already are.” He stands slowly, putting a bit of distance between them. “You’re already good enough. You always were.” He smiles, hands in his pockets and takes the plunge. 

“When you figure that out,” he says, not at all unkindly, “Come find me. I’ll be here.” He bumps Lances shoulder gently as he walks past. “If you want.” 

~

It’s several days before Lance confronts Keith, that same dumbfounded look on his face that he’s been wearing since they last talked.

“Keith?”

“Hmm?” He looks up from the documents one of the officers has him signing. He’s not sure what it is or why he needs to sign it but at this point he’s stopped asking. 

Lance waits for the officer to salute and walk off before speaking. 

“Look, I know my timing sucks like, phenomenally considering Allura just turned me down a couple of days ago but…” He runs a hand back through his hair, nervous. He lets all the air in his lungs out in one breath.

“No one's ever said that to me before. Never made me feel like I was worth something.” He kicks at the floor with the toe of his sneaker and Keith is both surprised and hurt on Lance’s behalf. 

“Except for you.” He glances up at Keith shyly, oblivious to his internal dilemma. 

“And I think I want that. And I don’t want you to say anything now,” he rushes on, waving one hand, “because yeah, you were right. I need to take some time to accept that I’m worth something on my own before jumping head first into a relationship after a girl just turned me down and  _ you _ deserve better than that from me.” He flushes, toeing at the floor again.

“But after.” He gestures vaguely around them to indicate the ship and the war. “When this is all over. Would you- like to grab dinner sometime or something? With me?” It’s awkward and stumbling and unbearably sincere.

Keith’s smile is so soft it makes Lance’s heart squirm as he stumbles to an awkward stop, terrified and vulnerable because he doesn’t think he can handle two rejections inside of a week. 

“I’d love to.” And there’s that damn smile again, curled up in the corner of Keith’s mouth, all soft and affectionate and Lance had no idea Keith could even look like that. He can feel his ears burning as he stares and that’s not an image he’ll ever be able to forget.

“Okay, cool. I’m gonna-“ He gestures over his shoulder with a thumb. “Go before I make this weird. I’ll see you around.”

Keith smiles again and Lance really has to go.

He darts around a corner, pressing a hand over his fluttering heart, trying to breathe, leaning against the wall to keep from falling. He’s never felt so giddy before.

He doesn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. 


End file.
